Why does overcooking chicken breast make it rubbery, while overcooking other parts like the thighs make it tender?
In: Biology
Moisture is the reason.
Skin and bones (especially those containing marrow) keep the meat next to them moist when they cook. Chicken breast has less skin and bone compared to the thigh.
Try cooking a skinless, boneless chicken breast alongside a regular one. The regular one will keep its moisture better.
Breasts and thighs cook at different rates. If you cook them the same amount of time, you are likely overcooking the breast and perfectly cooking the thighs.
Also, tenderness is a combo of the structure of the meat and moisture level. Chicken breast has almost no fat or connective tissue. When you cook it, you are getting rid of water and killing microbes. Too much water gone makes the meat dry and chewy.
Personally, I don’t like chicken breast. I always go for thighs.
I’ve never had chicken turn “rubbery”. Overcooked chicken breasts just dry out. Dark meat, which is alot more moist to begin with also just dries out
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